Money matters

While I think there are definitely reasons not to discuss money at, say, a dinner party, I think some of our cultural taboos about money only serve to strengthen inequalities (which was probably the original intent). For example, some companies have actual policies preventing employees from telling each other how much they make—which means that the employees won't know when they're being grossly underpaid as compared to a colleague until it's too late (see Ledbetter v. Goodyear). Great for the bossman, not so great for you.

And of course this is reinforced by the societal idea that our personal worth can be measured by our salaries, leading us to keep our income info to ourselves. So the not-talking-about-money leads people to learn the majority of their money habits—good or bad—from their parents. And look at all those other lovely things our parents unconsciously teach us about relationships . . .

When two people start a relationship, money is generally one of the last things they talk about—and often only once there are problems that have already done some damage. I thought this article was a good summary of why we should put money much higher on the list of pillow-talking points.

Otherwise you might be in for a rude awakening.

Love,
Ginger